First Friday’s Honors Urban Agriculture in April

This First Friday, you are invited to meet Long Beach farmers and eat the fresh food they grow in expert preparations by Bixby Knolls restaurants.

From edible flowers to habanero honey: the chefs at Bixby restaurants will be highlighting Long Beach grown fruits and vegetables in special dishes for the evening.

Though you’ll be able to find stuffed Long Beach cabbage, Long Beach parsley and mint in your tabouli and medleys of fresh Long Beach root vegetables, it wouldn’t be a “fair” without a hefty helping of EXTREME food too.

To that effect: Georgie’s Place will be frying up Oreos, candy bars and Twinkies and farm-to-fork Long Beach caterer Primal Alchemy will be concocting the ultimate “farm-to-fair” foods including a savory BBQ chicken chili over sweet corn pudding with grilled corn salsa and crema fresca and a candied black pepper beignet with apple cinnamon cider syrup & confectioners sugar.

It also wouldn’t be a “fair” without animals and that’s where the Bixby Knolls “Bees-ness” Improvement Association is excited to announce the presentation of two live hives, from the Bixby Bees and Honey Pacifica (which will also be providing a honey tasting bar!).

There will also be a goat petting zoo and visitors are encouraged to get up close and personal with a cold-blooded reptile or two at Reptile World.

Everyone’s invited to stop by the EXPO Arts Building to meet and learn about the pioneers at the forefront of the Long Beach Food movement. Long Beach Fresh is hosting a blue ribbon exhibit celebrating dozens of

Long Beach farmers and promoters of good food here in town. Further educational opportunities include early ranch life exhibits by Rancho Los Cerritos, Aquaponics demonstrations, Rockview Farms, displays by LBCAP Spring Street Farm, Localism and Beachgreens and more.

All the fun and funk of First Fridays will be omnipresent including music by dozens of bands, in-store events and demonstrations, art shows, parties and surprises.